This is the category gathering NYC based bands who play roots music in all its traditional glory. Or at least that's what we intended it to be - a couple of bands in the list (namely, Sewing Machines and The Balboans) obviously mis-categorized themselves when submitting for this poll...

Total Submissions in this category: 23

Artists Qualified to the Poll's Next Stage (starting soon):

1. Swear and Shake - 8.16 (out of 10)
2. The Ludlow Thieves - 7.66
3. The Courtesy Tier - 7.5

Honorable Mentions (score above 7):

Sewing Machines, The Balboans, Ten Ton Man, Runaway Dorothy, Zak Smith, Mail the Horse, Alana Amram & the Rough Gems, Kayleigh Goldsworthy, David King + The Confirmed Bachelors, Elijah Ocean, This Old Ghost, Thomas Bryan Eaton.

Jurors: Ben Toledo (Deli Portland), Jacqueline Caruso (Deli LA), QD Tran (Deli Philly)

The Deli' Staff

Zak Smith's rock'n'roll is not intended for the Brooklyn hipster, but for the masses outside the bubble we live in, who enjoy Classic American Rock as made famous by artists like The Boss or John Mellencamp. Zak has got the voice, the chops and the look to pull this off big time, as his growing fan base - approaching 12k Facebook likes - can testify. The bearded singer recently released this fine video of the single "Crawling" - streaming below. In the next few weeks he'll be playing several shows in the NY/NJ area - more info here.

 As anyone who's spent some time on the Garden State Parkway knows, people from New Jersey come out a bit differently from the rest of us. There's a particular blend of hometown pride and hard-earned bravado here that few states can match.

For Zak Smith, this attitude defines his world view, as much as it does his music. A man sympathetic to unifying causes like Occupy Wall Street, Smith has brought together his own unified front with his powerhouse band. Stocking a tight five-piece with soaring harmonies and thunderclap guitars, he's created a unique blend of rock Americana that's just as much a family as the colorful characters pointed to throughout his new album.

Over a voice coated with as much honey as it's covered in grit, Smith has just released his debut full-length, collecting together a signature batch of tunes reflecting his outlook, both personally and politically. - Read Mike Levine's interview with Zak Smith here.